Ukrainian fencer becomes fan favorite after Olympic medal

Ukrainian fencer Olga Kharlan basked in the cheers Monday night after clinching a medal in the women's individual saber competition at the 2024 Paris Olympics .

Judging by the crowd's reaction, you'd think she bagged a gold medal, but it was just a bronze.

The crowd was so in tune with Kharlan's emotions that they couldn't help but applaud her, giving her a standing ovation after her 15-14 win over South Korea's Sebin Choi.

Throughout the match, the crowd serenaded her with "Ol-ga! Ol-ga!" chants, especially when she trailed 12-7 to Choi and seemed in danger of losing. Mind you, the cheers came from even non-Ukrainians as the likes of IOC president Thomas Bach were spotted sharing her jubilation.

Why was the moment so significant? Kharlan had just captured Ukraine's first medal in the Paris Games, and the first since Russia invaded her country nearly three years ago.

Paying the price for her beliefs

There was a deeper meaning behind Kharlan's celebration.

A year ago, she was disqualified by the International Fencing Federation from the Fencing World Cup for refusing to shake hands with her opponent, Russia's Anna Smirnova, after defeating her.

Kharlan explained why all those "sacrifices" paved the way for Monday's medal win.

"To all the athletes who could not come [to the Paris Olympics] and be here because Russia killed them, I dedicate this to them," an emotional Kharlan said . "I'm Ukrainian. We will always have strength. We will always keep fighting."

The 33-year-old Kharlan will go down as one of the best fencers of the 21st century. She now has five Olympic medals — one gold (Beijing 2008), one silver (Rio 2016) and three bronze (2012 London, 2016 Rio and 2024 Paris) — to go with six gold medals in the Fencing World Championships.